Child suffers second-degree burns from spilled school lunch

OAHU, Hawaii (KTRK) -- A Hawaii family is seeking answers after their young son suffered second-degree burns from a school lunch.

Candice Palacio Carrillo got a call every parent dreads. Her son was injured at school and she had to pick him up.

"When I got there his arm was bright red, he was screaming in pain," Carrillo said.

The doctor told her that Hewa had second-degree burns from the spilled stew. He was treated with pain medicine and burn cream.

"He said that he was holding it and that it was too heavy for him to carry. And the beef stew was in a separate container and it tipped over and spilled it all over his arm. And it was scalding hot," Carrillo said.

KHON reporter Jenn Boneza asked Carrillo about the school's response.

"No. The school hasn't called me at all. They've been in contact with the teacher, but I didn't get any formal communication from the school at all," Carrillo said.

Carrillo was eventually contacted by the school, but she still wants answers.

"I definitely want more supervision in the cafeteria and assistance, especially for kindergartners. I know that accidents happen, but this one could have been prevented," she said.

The Department of Education sent a letter to KHON that was sent home to parents at Nuuanu Elementary. They said it is being taken seriously and that safety precautions are being discussed.

They also explained how they followed food safety standards set by the Department of Health. Among those standards, the holding temperature of hot foods that should be at least 135 degrees.

Report a typo to the ABC13 staff